


Retrospective

by NanakiBH



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Daddy Kink, Drinking, Father-Daughter Relationship, First Dates, Grinding, Kissing, Loud Sex, M/M, Reincarnation, Riding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-01-07 23:59:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1125923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Insert token to continue...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stage 1

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to rate this as 'Mature' for now in anticipation of more explicit chapters.

“So, Maria,” Erwin said, looking down at the now-seven-year-old girl standing in front of him, “we have the whole day together. Is there something you'd like to do?”

After climbing her way into one of the stools he had tucked under the kitchen island, she swung her feet and looked around thoughtfully. His house wasn't very well-equipped for entertaining a young girl, even after all this time. It was a lot easier when he could pop in a movie and she'd be content to sit in front of the TV for hours. He loved spending time with his daughter, but it was getting difficult for him to keep up with a lively child who would only becoming more energetic with age.

Every other weekend now, it was something new. The last time he had her, they went to the mall, and the time before that, they went to get ice cream together. Her mother, his ex-wife, didn't appreciate it when she heard about all of the sugar he let her consume, so now he had to make sure that Maria wasn't going to rat him out about the fun things they did together. Sure, he could obey his ex-wife, but that wasn't going to make Maria happy. He was her parent too, even if he could only be there for her every other weekend.

She spun around in the stool, and when she reached her third rotation, she stopped, her decision made.

There was an arcade she said that she went to with her friends, probably for a birthday party that he wasn't around to experience. For the last few months, he noticed that she started carrying a small handheld game system with her in her back pocket everywhere she went; probably a gift from said birthday party.

It seemed that her last visit to the arcade had given her something of an interest in video games. To Erwin, that sounded like a relief. If she suddenly picked up a sport, he wasn't sure he would've been able to keep up with her. Even if he had no prior video game experience, they sounded low-stress compared to many other alternatives he could think of. He could handle video games. He just needed to... learn a little more about them.

“You'll take me there, right?” she asked, giving him that pleading look that she knew he was unable to refuse.

So he agreed. He just hadn't realized what he was agreeing to.

He turned on his work laptop to look for directions and discovered that the place she was talking about was a mere thirty minutes away; not nearly as bad as he'd been expecting. It wasn't as close as he'd hoped, but he was familiar with the area, so he knew how to get them there.

She hopped into the passenger side of his four-door and immediately flipped open her handheld game and had her eyes glued to it until they got close to their destination. As they got nearer, she hopped up in her seat, planting her face against the side window, excited that she recognized where they were, knowing that they were getting closer.

The little blonde ball of energy burst out of the car as soon as he parked and anxiously began jogging in place, too excited to wait for him. Locking the car behind him, he hustled to her side and walked her up to the entrance. He took a glance up, catching the massive sign above them that proudly proclaimed the establishment's heinous name: “Retrospective!”

He could give it a pass if the games were at least 'retro', but he was pretty sure that it was a new place...

Immediately upon entering, his senses were assaulted. The lobby was darkened but there were lights literally everywhere in as many colors as the rainbow, flashing with a frequency high enough to trigger epileptic seizures. To his right was a bar, full of people his age, and on the left appeared to be a small diner. There was some kind of round main station in front of him with a girl sitting behind a counter. She picked up her head when she saw them approaching and straightened her shoulders.

Erwin took a closer look at the digital sign above the desk and realized that it was displaying a list of prices.

“So... You don't use tokens here?” he asked, his brows coming together in confusion.

Maria grabbed his shirt sleeve and turned him around with her, speaking in a low voice as if she were embarrassed. “Daddy, no,” she sighed. “You have to buy cards and the tokens are on the cards.”

“The tokens are on the... Oh, so it's all digital?” he said, suddenly grasping the way it worked. “God, they're still finding new ways to teach kids how to throw their money away, aren't they...”

“Tokens, please,” Maria said, looking up at him with a sparkle in her eyes, an excited little smile turning up her lips.

Heaving a sigh, Erwin fished his wallet out of his pocket and took out his credit card, handing it over to the girl at the desk in exchange for another card that was loaded with tokens. Twenty dollars would give her one hundred tokens, but he couldn't remember a time when he'd ever walked into an arcade as a child and had a need for that many tokens. Still, a hundred tokens was the lowest amount he could purchase and it sounded like it was enough to keep her entertained for a long time, so he suffered the expense with little hesitation.

As soon as the card was in her hands, she grabbed him by the sleeve again and dragged him toward the true entrance to the arcade behind the counter. The volume rose as the doors opened, and he found himself suddenly surrounded by an overwhelming microcosm of arcade games. He didn't know where he should put his eyes first, but Maria seemed to know exactly what she was looking for.

With the card clutched in her hand, she pulled him along behind her to the first of the games she wanted to play. Just when he thought he wasn't going to have to exert himself in a place like this, she introduced him to the first game he'd ever heard of that required one's entire body to play. With one screen and two metal platforms, it was apparently a dance game. It sounded familiar, but he'd never seen it in person and he certainly didn't know how to play it.

Moreover, the thought of having to play something like that in front of other people sounded...

“Come on, we gotta get on it before someone else does!” she said. She let go of him and ran ahead, hopping onto one of the metal platforms before another boy had the chance to make it there first. She stuck her card against the edge of the screen to claim it and turned around, waving her arms to make him hurry up.

He looked at the little boy with a suffering expression and stepped onto the other platform, fearful of what hell he was about to dive into.

But he could do this. He could do this for his little girl. A little bit of embarrassment was... healthy.

She swiped the card before he had the chance to even ask how to play.

“Maria, maybe you should do it first to show me how-”

“You'll be fine!” she said, pressing the button on his side of the screen to activate the second player. She chose the 'beginner' difficulty for him and started scrolling through a long list of obnoxious-sounding electronic dance songs he was completely unfamiliar with.

He was supposed to... dance to this?

No, he couldn't let himself get discouraged. This was for his beloved daughter. There were only kids around in this half of the arcade anyway. They'd probably forget about this embarrassing sight as soon as they moved on to their next game. Steeling his resolve as a parent, he waited patiently for her to choose a song and prayed that she would choose something slow and easy.

She did not. Then again, he doubted that this machine had anything 'slow and easy' in its library. It all sounded like chaos.

“All you gotta do is hit the arrows with your feet when they reach the top of the screen,” she said, making it sound easy.

It wasn't that simple. One probably required a sense of rhythm to be able to play the game. While Erwin might have thought that he possessed such a sense before, he found himself hopelessly at a loss when confronted by the flying arrows. The song wasn't even that fast, but he just couldn't manage to hit the arrows on time. As soon as he'd successfully hit one, the next arrow would whiz by, registering as a jarring, red 'MISS' on the screen. With just a glance at his daughter's side of the screen, he could tell that she was doing very well in comparison. The bar at the top of her side was a healthy green, while his was a distressing, flashing red.

“Are you even trying?” she asked, keeping her eyes forward.

She didn't need to say that. The voice of the announcer in the game was already berating his pathetic lack of skills. He stopped watching the screen for a second to watch the way Maria effortlessly hit the arrows beneath her feet, moving from one to the next in time with the song. She really knew what she was doing. Meanwhile, he was already in the red without any hope of gaining back his points.

With another glance around them, he realized that they were attracting a small crowd of kids. He hoped that it was because Maria was so good, but he feared that they were more interested in watching this lame old man try to keep up with his experienced daughter.

Well... if it were a show they wanted, then he was going to keep giving it his all. He couldn't stop there and embarrass her.

He tried. He really tried, and he thought he was getting better at it, but, by the time the song ended, his realized that his effort had been for naught. Maria got a proud, golden A on her side of the screen, while he received an abysmal E.

“I...” He bent over, gasping for breath, and clutched the edge of the screen to balance himself as his head spun. “I thought I was doing better at the end... Why did it give me such a bad score?”

Around them, he heard a few kids snickering.

She gave him a sympathetic look and tried to get him to straighten up. “If you miss too many arrows, it will give you a bad score no matter how well you do otherwise. You could do great at the beginning and fail, or fail at the beginning and never make it back up. Maybe I should have explained that...”

No kidding. Not like it would have been any help to an inexperienced player like him anyway.

“Are you okay...?” she asked, keeping a hand on his arm.

He wasn't out of shape. He just couldn't keep up with that many arrows. He'd be fine. Probably.

His senses whirled when he took another breath and he looked around, desperate to find a place to sit. He noticed the kids around them still staring intently at the game and felt a little nauseous at the thought of having to play more of this game with an audience.

“How about you let one of these other kids play with you?” he said, slowly making his way off the raised platform. “You pick, though. Those are your tokens, so you make sure you pick the songs, alright?”

She nodded, still looking worried about him. “Okay... I think there's a place to sit in the middle. I'll come find you in a while?”

“Sounds great,” he wheezed, giving her a wobbly thumbs up.

As soon as he stepped off the platform and started walking away, the other kids all clamored for their place as the second player. He hoped that she would be alright without him around to watch... Once he found a place to sit for a while and maybe found some water, he would return to her side as quickly as possible.

As his first order of business, he started scouting the wide area, looking for the place she had been talking about. To his frazzled nerves, the arcade machines that surrounded him sounded too loud, making him feel even weaker. Eventually, his eyes fell upon it; a bar in the middle of the large room that floated like a solitary island among the infinite sea of bright and loud games. To Erwin's aching legs, it looked like an oasis.

Holding a hand to his head, he made a beeline for the bar and sunk into one of the unoccupied stools. He placed his elbows on the counter and took in a deep breath that he released slowly. He found the time to work out at home, so he knew he wasn't out of shape, but the things that game did to his muscles made him feel like he needed to do something to step it up.

“What'll it be?” someone asked; the bartender. It felt unusual to think that an establishment that catered largely to families would also double as a spot for people of drinking age. A drink sounded very tempting at the moment...

He couldn't ask for something hard if he were going to drive home with his daughter, though. Tentatively, he lifted a hand, keeping his eyes wearily locked on the surface of the bar. “A... rum and coke?” he asked, hoping he didn't sound as uncertain as he thought he did.

The bartender disappeared. Over the electronic jingles from the machines around him, he could hear him fixing a drink. A moment later, he returned, sliding a coaster in front of him, placing the chilled glass down on top of it. With a slight nod of thanks, Erwin lifted the glass to his lips, took a sip, and immediately made a face.

“Is this... This is just coke, isn't it?” he asked, finally looking up at the bartender.

He was just a young guy; short and slight with intense eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest at Erwin's accusing stare and sent him back a look of his own.

“You expect me to serve you alcohol when you walked in here with a kid? Disgusting.”

Erwin immediately felt awful for even considering it. He ducked his head and took another sip of the coke. “You're right. That was thoughtless of me.” The bartender gave a curt nod. “How much do I owe you for this now?”

In a place like this, he expected the price to be insanely unreasonable, but he knew what he'd gotten himself into now, so his hand was already at his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

“Don't worry about it.”

“Right, but I'm asking how much the drink costs.”

The bartender placed his hands on his hips. “Are you dense? I'm saying it's on the house. Gratis. For free. I ain't gonna charge you for it. Put your money away and drink your damn coke.”

He really had a mouth on him. Erwin wasn't sure what he had done to elicit such an attitude from him, but he would be careful not to incite it again. He took another cautious sip and awkwardly stared at the counter, wondering how the hell a guy like that got hired in a place with children. As he continued to slowly nurse his soda, he realized that the bartender wasn't going anywhere, standing in front of him without moving.

“Oh,” Erwin said, feeling especially thoughtless now, “thank you.”

“Huh?” The bartender's eyes widened at his words and Erwin couldn't help but notice how much younger he seemed when he wasn't wearing a scowl. “Oh, uh. Whatever,” he finished lamely, stepping backwards to lean against the opposite counter.

As he continued to drink his free soda, he realized that the bartender was still watching him. There wasn't a large demand for his attention, so he could afford to stay in one spot, but Erwin was distinctly aware of the glances he kept shooting in his direction.

Since he was sure that the guy wasn't going to leave him alone, he decided to say something conversational.

“How can you stand working in a place like this?” Terrible. “Rather... All of these lights are killer on my head. Doesn't the atmosphere here ever get overwhelming for you?”

He looked surprised that Erwin was interested in talking with him, but he perked up right away and came a little closer again. “It's not bad. No different from working in a regular bar, really, except that I don't see half as many drunks. Being around kids isn't too bad either,” he said. He took a look down the other side of the counter, checking to see whether he was needed by anyone, then came over to rest his arms on the counter in front of Erwin. “It sucks whenever the brats start screaming, but it's nice when I see a kid with a happy family, you know?”

“A happy family, huh,” Erwin repeated quietly, absently drawing a finger around the edge of his glass. He wondered if the bartender had noticed his conspicuous lack of a wedding ring when he made that comment.

“How old is she?”

Erwin picked up his head and stared at him. “Huh?”

“The girl you're with – the one who made you embarrass yourself on the dance game.”

Well, at least now he could be sure that he had embarrassed himself in front of _everyone._

“Seven,” he said, looking over at the dance game where Maria was still busy kicking the butt of some other girl her age. “That's my daughter. She's seven.”

The bartender gave him another long stare, backing up like he was trying to have a better look at him. “Damn, _seven?_ ” he said in a disbelieving voice. Very quickly, though, he smirked and resumed his position in front of Erwin. “...Yeah, I guess you look like you're old enough to have a seven-year-old.”

This guy was quite charming. Erwin's lip curled, but he found it hard to feel offended. He had an unapologetic attitude and an off-color sense of humor. Until that moment, Erwin hadn't even realized that he was feeling more relaxed. His head felt better and even his legs weren't feeling as sore. He knew that he couldn't give the bartender all of the credit for that, but he certainly knew how to disarm him.

“Giving me a free drink... joking about my age...” Erwin sat back in his stool and raised his glass, shaking a finger at his new friend knowingly. “I may be dense, but I'm not _that_ dense. I see what you're up to.”

“Oh, good,” he sighed. “This isn't the ideal place to hook up, but I do enjoy admiring the occasional hot dad who hits my counter. I saw the kid and thought you might be off-limits...”

He trailed off ambiguously, waiting, allowing for Erwin to confirm whether or not he was able to flirt with him. It had been long enough, he thought. Four years was more than enough time for him to accept the reality of the split between him and his wife. He hadn't been actively looking to fill the gap since then either, though.

His ex-wife was already remarried. It was about time that he consider moving on too, wasn't it?

“I'm Erwin,” he said, setting down his glass to extend a hand.

The bartender looked at it, eyes narrowed, brows lifted, and slowly placed a hand in Erwin's. He had very warm hands, but as their fingers touched, a chill ran through Erwin's spine. He looked up at him, taking in his face, and felt a sense of déjà vu so strong that, for a second, he found it difficult to breathe.

“Levi,” he returned quietly, looking aside.

All of that. It was so familiar, like a snapshot forgotten at the back of his memory.

“Do I know you from-” From where? He'd never seen this man before in his life, had never been personally acquainted with anyone with that name. It was stupid to even open his mouth and start, so he shook his head as he took back his hand, clearing the topic from discussion entirely. “No, never mind.”

The bartender – Levi – looked at him, though. It almost looked like he'd experienced that same sense of déjà vu. It looked like he was about to say something, but before he could get a word out, his attention was drawn elsewhere. Erwin followed his gaze and suddenly found his daughter at his side. She looked down at the card in her hand with a guilty face and slowly lifted it up.

“I need more tokens,” she mumbled.

Needless to say, Erwin couldn't believe that she had already blown through twenty dollars-worth of tokens on one game. As long as she had fun, then he supposed that he was happy (he didn't get to spend money on her that often) but it didn't reflect well on the arcade's prices. He had to wonder how much parents would spend on their children there on average.

Clearing his throat, he picked up the card and gave Levi a polite nod before rising from his seat. Faster than his eyes could follow, the card disappeared from his fingers, snatched away by Levi. He told them to wait a moment and disappeared somewhere behind the counter. Leaning forward, Erwin watched him as he fiddled around with a machine under there. He slid the card through some kind of reader, punched in some numbers, and popped back up. After twirling the card nimbly around his fingers, he handed it back to Erwin's daughter.

“Have fun,” he said. “Just don't tell anyone how much is on there, alright?”

Her face lit up. With a nod, she ran back off and disappeared into the forest of arcade cabinets.

Still staring at the place where she'd gone, Erwin asked, “How much did you put on there?”

“Doesn't matter,” Levi said, grinning, leaning on the counter. “It's enough to keep her distracted for a long, long time.”

“Are you sure you can get away with that?” he asked, keeping his voice low, worried about what Levi's boss or fellow employees might think if they knew about how much money he had just essentially given away.

“This machine doesn't record token transactions the way the one up front does. Don't worry about it.”

He knew that Levi was probably still just trying to flirt with him, but that was still too nice. A free coke was one thing, but he had just saved him a ton of money and had probably put enough on that card for multiple trips to the arcade. He had to think of a way to thank him.

“God, I'd ask you if you'd like a drink, but you're the one manning the bar,” Erwin laughed.

“You still can,” Levi said, procuring a small, square napkin from beneath the counter along with a pen. He quickly jotted down a number and reached over the counter, tucking it into the front pocket of Erwin's shirt. “I'm interested. Call me up sometime when you wanna go.”

Feeling his ears growing hot, Erwin quickly adjusted the napkin in his pocket, buttoning it so he wouldn't lose it. “Are you sure? You said it yourself – I'm just some old man. I've already got a kid.” If he were really interested in him, then Erwin wanted to make sure that this guy knew what he was getting into. He had a history. He already had a family. It wouldn't exactly be easy if he were interested in more than just a drink.

“I said that, yeah. But I also said that I admire the dads around here, didn't I?” he said, his eyes lowering into something of a leer.

Now it was more than just his ears. Erwin could feel himself growing hot under his shirt collar.

“Now, why don't you go play with your girl? That's what you're here for, isn't it? Don't let a dick like me keep you from spending quality time with your kid.”

Thanking him again, Erwin stood from the bar. He lifted his glass and drained its remaining contents, then spared Levi another significant look. This wasn't what he expected from this outing, but he wasn't about to question his luck.


	2. Stage 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first stage wasn't as difficult as he expected it to be, but it was too soon to let down his guard.

Maria's mother came to pick her up that night. It had been long enough, but Erwin still couldn't bring himself to watch her get in the car, knowing who else may be there, sitting in the passenger seat. As the door closed behind her, he lightly touched his pocket, remembering the number secured within it. Even if he were to find someone else, there would still be an unfillable gap in his life; a fissure between him and the family he was once a part of.

When Maria went home, there was someone else there now. Erwin wasn't the one. He was over his ex-wife now, but he would never be over Maria. To think that there was someone else there now who'd assumed his place felt... It was a terrible feeling, one he expected to feel for as long as he lived. No matter how much he told himself otherwise, he couldn't help but feel like this was completely his fault.

The days he spent with her meant more than words to him, and they felt like they became even more important to him whenever she left, when the wound opened wider.

As the sound of the car faded into the distance, he came to realize his surroundings and shook himself back into the present. Focusing on things that he couldn't change had never got him anywhere in the past. It was time that he finally started thinking about his own future. The road looked long and intimidating before taking the first step, but, suddenly, a hand had been outstretched to him. It reached out, grabbed him by the wrist, and made him see what the first step really looked like:

A small square of paper, folded in his pocket.

Unmoving from his place in the doorway, he unbuttoned his pocket and slipped his fingers inside to pull out the napkin. Carefully unfolding it, he took out his phone and added the number to his contacts. He would have never forgiven himself if he put his shirt in the washer without remembering what was in his pocket. With that taken care of, he felt tempted to call the number, but he realized that Levi might still be working. Really, he had no idea what a bartender's hours were like, especially in that type of establishment. He spent almost the whole day there with his daughter and Levi was still there when he left.

That sounded like something they probably had in common. The company he worked at required long, sometimes unusual hours from him. Levi was probably someone who understood what that was like.

A text sounded harmless – but not yet. It was still too soon. He didn't want to appear too desperate. He wasn't desperate for anything. He hadn't even considered a relationship in ages, so it wasn't like he was... excited or anything.

Before he made any stupid decisions, he dropped his phone on the couch and walked off to take a shower. He went in hoping that it would make his head feel clearer, but his thoughts only continued to accumulate, swelling like steam, crowding in his head. The arcade's atmosphere hadn't been solely to blame. Levi's face, above all else, remained at the front of his mind.

That was all; his face, his voice, his glib manner. Meeting him did something to him, he realized. His memories had been scattered. Each and every memory, from the first day he could remember to the second that had already passed were shifting around in his head, futilely trying to find the place where that face belonged.

It felt like a shame that he hadn't met Levi sooner.

After he came out of the shower, he stared at the phone again and had to physically restrain himself from picking it up.

It wasn't until the following day at work that he felt like an appropriate amount of time had passed. At his lunch break, he pulled out his phone and shakily called Levi's number. He waited while it rang, worrying that he could be calling at a bad time, but his worry was dispelled when Levi picked up on the other end. That bored voice was unmistakable.

Suddenly, though, Erwin found himself incapable of speech.

His palms began to sweat. His heart leapt to his throat. He couldn't even remember enough English to offer a greeting. Trying to calm down, he took a deep breath and let it out.

_“Who the hell is this?”_ Levi asked on the other side, sounding agitated.

Not thinking, Erwin pulled his phone away from his ear and ended the call.

For a minute, he stood in the company lounge, feeling like the world's largest idiot. He thought about calling Levi so much that he was certain he knew what to say, but it all flew away the second he heard his voice. Now he must have thought he was a creep for sure. A normal person wouldn't call someone just to hear their voice, then hang up. Moreover, he wasn't sure he had the confidence to call him again now. At that moment, Levi was probably already blocking his number to make sure that weird guy never called him again.

Motivated by that distressing thought, he quickly called the number again, promising himself that he would say something this time – anything; didn't matter what.

_“Alright, who the fuck-”_

“It's me,” Erwin blurted out, giving himself an internal pat on the back. Hey, it was something. “Sorry about before. I... think my... call got dropped or something.”

There was a slight space of silence filled by the anxious pounding of his heart. _“From last night? Erwin?”_

Erwin immediately realized that he had been so fried that he had forgotten the most important part of his introduction. It was a good thing that he had a memorable voice. At least, he hoped it was his voice and not his embarrassing tendency.

He apologized for being as rude as to not give his name. Levi accepted his apology, but didn't hesitate to let him know how creepy it sounded to hear him breathing on the other side of the phone without saying anything. 'Like something from a horror movie,' were his words. Erwin attempted to laugh it off and casually redirect the conversation to something else.

Once he got going, he found it much easier to talk to him. There was something comforting and familiar about the sound of Levi's voice. The longer he kept him on the phone, the more he felt like he'd done this before. Calling Levi during his lunch break, laughing at himself, asking him about how his day was going... It felt nice and sort of right.

Except, when it came time for him to suggest something they could do together, he couldn't think of anything. It'd been years since he'd gone on a date and he was so far off his game it wasn't even funny. He felt confident while talking to him, but he wasn't sure whether he'd feel confident later if he invited him somewhere public, especially if he blurted out a place he'd never been to before. So, he went with the safest option he could think of, even if it were the most boring.

He asked if he wanted to come to his place sometime.

Levi was quiet for another second. When he answered back with enthusiasm, Erwin realized that he probably thought he was inviting him over for sex, which was _not_ where his thoughts had been going... Initially.

He couldn't very well take it back once it had left his mouth, so their plans had been made. Levi was going to join him at his home on Saturday evening. Fortunately, it would be another week until he had Maria again, so he could enjoy a private, uninterrupted night with his date. It felt unusual for him to even think that word, but that was his reality now. He had a date scheduled with a guy he met only once at a bar. Granted, it was a bar in a family-friendly establishment, but it didn't change how unusual it felt to consider.

Levi was... He was very attractive. Whether it be men or women, Erwin didn't think of himself as having a strict 'type', but he could admit that he felt an immediate attraction when he looked at him.

Having him at his house would be a good thing, he decided. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of other people again. If he were going to say something embarrassing or make a fool of himself, he was going to do it in his own damn house and take some pride in it.

Because Erwin Smith had a _date._ A really hot one.

He spent the rest of that day thinking about what amazing luck he had to attract the attention of such an attractive younger man. 

The rest of the week was spent considering his choice in outfit, buying alcohol, and thinking about what they could do to entertain themselves. He wasn't going to let Saturday come without preparation.

Levi probably thought they were going to have sex. The possibility that that was all Levi wanted from him entered his mind at times, but he tried to ignore it. If he could, he wanted to find a way to explain that he was interested in more than that. He was a man of commitment. He valued a stable, faithful relationship more than, perhaps, anything.

 

By the time Saturday came, Erwin felt like a controlled mess. Every time he thought about Levi coming over, his pulse started racing, but he felt confident in himself. They probably weren't going to leave his house, so he didn't overdress, keeping it to a simple shirt and tie – a light blue one. Black would have been too formal and intimidating. He wanted to look confident, but approachable.

When the doorbell rang, he appraised his appearance once more in the bedroom mirror and ran to get the door. He looked down and found Levi on the other side, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. He was dressed a little more casually than what Erwin had anticipated, but that didn't change things. What surprised him more was how short Levi seemed, now that they were standing toe-to-toe. He didn't even reach his shoulders...

“Done staring? Gonna let me in?” Levi asked, glancing aside.

“Of course,” he said, casually not acknowledging the fact that he was acting weird again. He was aware. It wasn't his fault that Levi was so surprisingly small.

He allowed Levi room to step inside, showed him where he could leave his shoes, and led him into the house. Though he'd planned drinks, he didn't get much farther than thinking of some conversation topics, and he doubted that they could talk for however many hours before Levi either left or tried to fuck him instead.

Being straightforward and up front usually worked for him, so he turned to him and simply admitted, “I don't have much planned. I haven't been on a date in years.”

Levi shrugged, taking glances around him, scoping out his interior. “Yeah, same. I haven't been on a date since I was a younger, so whatever.”

That comment surprised Erwin for a number of reasons. More than anything, it suddenly made him curious to find out Levi's age. Asking him something like that outright at the arcade would have been unthinkably rude, but Levi probably had some idea of how old he was, having a seven-year-old girl. It felt fair to pose that question now.

“If it's not too personal, do you mind if I ask how old you are?” he asked, talking as he led him through the living room to the kitchen. He pulled out one of the stools from underneath the island for him and Levi graciously took a seat.

Putting his elbows on the top, he put his chin in his palms and tilted his head innocently as he told Erwin how old he was.

Five years younger. He was a mere five years younger than him.

No matter how Erwin looked at him, he couldn't figure out how Levi was supposed to be the age he claimed to be. If the age he told him were true, then he looked incredibly good for his age, and he looked especially young when he was grinning like that. Erwin could tell that he wasn't joking, but Levi clearly took pleasure in how much he'd surprised him.

“Does it bug you?” Levi asked, his grin persistent. “Were you hoping that I was younger? Were you looking for some jailbat?”

“That not what I was thinking at all,” Erwin said.

He thought that he was younger, yes, but that wasn't what made him interested in him. At his answer, Levi looked aside, sighing as if he were disappointed. Erwin couldn't figure out why, but he realized that Levi might have been hoping that was what he was thinking. He hoped that Erwin would think he was younger.

“In any case,” Erwin said, moving to the well-stocked liquor cabinet on the other side of the room, “I have a lot to choose from. What are you in the mood for? Wine? Something hard? I have beer too, if you'd prefer.”

“Wine,” Levi answered back quickly, keeping his eyes down.

Odd. Erwin wouldn't have thought of him as the wine type.

He closed the cabinet and went to the refrigerator instead, pulling out his favorite bottle of red. He hadn't expected Levi to choose wine, but at least he had a nice one already chilled. Erwin was actually glad that he hadn't asked for something more specific. Levi was the bartender, so he would have been the expert. If Erwin had to mix something for him, he would have worried about his skills being put under scrutiny.

He placed the bottle on the table, letting Levi have a look at it while he retrieved some glasses from the cabinet above the sink. Placing one delicate wine glass in front of Levi and one on the other side of the counter for himself, he took a seat opposite Levi. If he felt déjà vu this time, it was because it reminded him so much of the way they'd met.

“Looks good,” Levi said, gently pushing the bottle back to him. He looked different than when they were at the arcade. His flirtatious manner had been replaced by a terse attitude. At the moment, Erwin could think of nothing that would explain the stiffness in his shoulders.

After uncorking the bottle, he took Levi's glass and watched his face as he filled it. Something about his closed expression made Erwin feel more bold, but he worried whether he had already made a misstep he was unaware of.

There was a silence. He couldn't call it comfortable, but he felt like the one in control, finding it easier to analyze Levi when he had nothing to say. He could already tell that he was the type of person who used his words and attitude to cover up what he was feeling, the type to use dysphemisms to shock attention away from what he was really thinking. Erwin felt proud that he'd figured that out, but he wasn't sure what was making Levi look uncomfortable.

Maybe he was just thinking about it too hard.

“So what was your last date like?” Erwin asked. “The last date I had led to a marriage that ended three years later. That was something you wanted to know, wasn't it?”

He saw Levi's eyes widen in a flash, but it was quickly covered with a short laugh. “I had a date with a girl in high school. It didn't last for long before I realized that I was just as hopelessly gay and messed up as I thought, so I walked out on her. I felt kind of bad about ditching her later, but it wasn't like I could tell her, 'sorry, but I've got an uncontrollable attraction to older men.' That probably would've messed her up, too.”

He lifted his glass and took a heavy drink from it. Wine really wasn't his thing.

Erwin didn't want to be so proud, but now he felt sure that he was the reason for Levi's nervousness. Levi hadn't had a serious date in that long, and he was on a date now with him; a guy who, at the least, looked exactly like what he was after, even if they were closer in age than he first expected.

“I'm not that much older than you,” Erwin pointed out.

Levi nodded, taking another drink. If he kept going like that, he was going to be on his second glass in no time. “The older I've gotten, the less the age matters. It just got... more specific.”

He had to be talking about the dad thing. Erwin felt like he could make a deduction now, but worried that it would be too forward. Levi appeared to be in a talkative mood, though.

“You didn't have a father.”

Pulling back his sleeve, Levi looked at his watch and then looked up at him with a dumbfounded face. “I've been here for like five minutes. How the hell did you do that?”

It wasn't that hard to piece together. Levi was the one acting nervous, guzzling his wine, and oversharing. Heaven forbid that Erwin let him know how obvious he was being. He remembered how easy it seemed to trigger Levi's temper, so, if he still hoped of having a romantic encounter with him, he didn't want to say anything that could rub him the wrong way.

Instead, he lifted his glass and said, gently, “You can relax, you know.”

“You're the embarrassing dad here,” Levi returned, tossing back what remained in his glass.

“You aren't used to being near anyone you've thought seriously about.” Now Erwin knew that he was crossing the line for sure. He lowered his glass slowly without taking another drink, seeing the way that Levi reacted to what he said. “Sorry.”

To his surprise, he saw Levi smile. He reached between them and grabbed the bottle to refill his glass. He took a long drink, poured some more, and sat back in his chair. “Nah, it's fine. It's good. I think I'm liking you more by the second, actually.”

“Are you... sure?” Erwin asked, feeling a little stunned by Levi's sudden one-eighty.

“I can't bullshit you,” Levi said, gazing into the rippling surface in his glass. “I'm impressed... and glad. You're the one who just said that stuff, so you know what you're dealing with. You aren't surprised? Disappointed? ...Grossed out?” He glanced up at him to see if he could find his answer. “Nothing?”

Erwin had the strong feeling that the only one who thought Levi was unusual was Levi himself. He hoped that the confused look he was giving him was helping him understand how he felt. “I don't think you're as strange as you think. Everyone has something complicated about them. Actually, I think you're fortunate to have acknowledged something like that about yourself. A lot of people will ignore what they're feeling and live the way that other people tell them to live.” He laughed at his next thought. “You did well to walk out on that girl in high school.”

Levi looked a little shaken at first, but his eyes quickly softened, and he smiled as he brought the glass to his lips. “Stop talking like you have me all figured out.”

This... Erwin hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time.

Something dark and possessive in him growled as he watched Levi's throat move. “Would you like to move to the living room?” he asked, never taking his eyes from him. “I'd love to learn all about you.”

Levi accepted that invitation eagerly. He grabbed the bottle of wine from the table and Erwin followed him with their glasses. They turned on the TV, but neither of them paid attention to what was on, much more interested in the conversation between them. After they passed through enough television to reach the late night news, they had already expended the entire bottle of wine. There were two of them and they had a couple hours to space it out, so Erwin didn't think it was that bad, but his head felt a little fuzzy when he thought about it.

 

“So what about your wife?” Levi asked suddenly. Erwin looked down at him and blearily realized that Levi had a leg thrown over one of his. “Sorry – ex-wife,” he quickly corrected.

Erwin tilted his head. His cheek found itself on top of Levi's head and it felt too comfortable to move it. “What about her?”

“Like, you're over her, right?”

He thought that already went without saying, but it seemed that Levi still required a little more reassurance. Erwin hadn't realized that he had an arm around Levi's waist until he was using it to hold him tighter. “I think about her, but I think it's because I'm jealous of how much time she's able to spend with Maria.” He paused, his thoughts looking a bit distant. “My daughter, that is. Anyway. She's married again now, so. You know.”

“She remarried?” Levi said, shifting so he could look at him. “Her loss. I bet the other guy can't even compare to you. I mean, look at you.”

For a bartender, Levi didn't seem very good at holding himself together when he was under the influence. He tried to pat his knee to make him move it, but he found himself with both of Levi's legs in his lap instead. “Nile's a good guy,” Erwin sighed. He liked Nile. They were friendly with each other. He just didn't like to imagine him living the life he used to be a part of, but that was no longer here nor there. “Some things just... aren't meant to be sometimes, I guess.”

“Maybe it was,” Levi said, looking like he was thinking. He gave a lopsided smile and pointed to himself. “Maybe you were meant to meet me, hm?”

That feeling was still there, lingering. What he said might have been true. The possibility that Levi might have considered it himself made Erwin feel warm inside. Remembering the arm he had around his waist, he held Levi tighter and slowly pushed them down onto the couch cushions together. Pressing his nose to Levi's hair, taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind of everything else.

Levi...

“You're a really affectionate drunk,” Levi said, massaging his hands around Erwin's back and shoulders.

“I'm hardly drunk,” he replied, hoping that he actually sounded as coherent as he thought he did.

Just for a second, he pulled back to look at Levi, and that second was immediately seized by Levi's lips. Erwin's eyes widened, the room's ambient noise dropping to silence around him as he felt Levi's lips moving against his own. With his lips, it felt like his heart had been seized as well, held in a firm hold that forced him to look at the one before him. Through the haze in his head, he realized, and he held onto Levi more tightly, returning his kiss.

Levi's hands traveled down his spine, pressing into the small of his back to lower Erwin's hips down against his. With a slow roll of his hips, Erwin could tell that Levi was hard, and realized that this was probably where things had been heading all night.

“Levi,” he said against his lips, trying to pull away for a moment, had to be sure of something. “This isn't all you're after... is it?”

He stared at Erwin blankly. In his current state of mind, Erwin found it worryingly difficult to read him. “You said it earlier for me, didn't you? I wouldn't have been nervous if I just wanted to fuck you. I'm... I'm just an old man too, you know. There are things I want, too.”

Erwin felt touched by the sincerity he heard in his voice, but he couldn't help a laugh, amused that Levi would even think of referring to himself as an old man with a face like that. Levi seemed surprised by his reaction, but Erwin didn't give him much time to think about it. Standing up from the couch, he pulled Levi up along with him and held his wrist as he led him back to his bedroom. As soon as Levi placed one foot into the room, Erwin heard him release a quiet, knowing, “oh”.

Pushing him backwards onto the bed, he resumed their previous position, climbing over him. Levi wrapped his arms around his neck and brought him back down for another kiss, deepening it with his tongue. Erwin felt grateful for the alcohol they'd consumed, feeling warm and content as he kissed Levi. None of the nerves he expected to feel were present.

As Levi's lips left his and traveled elsewhere, his hands began to stray as well, sliding down his back to his sides. He pawed at the front of Erwin's shirt, blindly trying to unbutton it with numb fingers. Erwin gently pushed his hands away and tried to unbutton it for him, but found himself no more suitably skilled for the task. They laughed at each other when he finally managed to work the top button out of its hole. Levi didn't seem to be in a rush, slowly kissing up his jaw as Erwin continued to struggle with his shirt, lightly grinding their hips together.

Once he had his shirt unbuttoned and pulled off his tie, he exploited his freedom, taking a firm handful of the front of Levi's jeans. Groaning quietly, Levi pressed his head back into the sheets and lifted his hips to meet his touch. Trying to return the favor, Levi reached out a hand and grasped Erwin through his pants.

He went still and quiet, but he wasn't the only one whose eyes widened.

“You're not hard...?” Levi asked, rubbing his palm experimentally over the front of Erwin's pants. “I mean-” He laughed. “Damn. I can tell you're huge, but that's not... You're not hard?”

Levi sounded too inebriated to comprehend the concept of drunk dick.

As much as they joked about his age, Erwin was certain that this had never been a problem he'd encountered before.

“Shit,” he muttered, rolling over on the bed, covering his face with his hands. The wine had done wonders for his nerves, but it had relaxed them a little _too_ much. “Yeah, it's big,” he said. “That's part of the problem.”

Levi blinked, thinking, then gave a hysterical laugh. “Oh my god... You poor thing. We really fucked ourselves already, didn't we?” He kept rubbing the front of his pants as if he could encourage it to get hard despite the biological logic that restricted it. “A thing this big... I wonder how much blood it would need to get hard. Probably a lot. I'm both impressed and disappointed. I don't think I've ever felt like this before.”

“Is that a compliment?” Erwin asked with a groan, lifting his hands so he could look at him. “And would you stop doing that? It's just making me sad.”

Levi gave up and laid down next to him. “It's a compliment. Who wouldn't like a big dick?”

“Yeah, but... I'm sorry for disappointing you. I certainly didn't intend for our night to end like this.”

“It's fine,” Levi said, waving a hand in the air. “You can make it up to me in the morning.”

“But...” Erwin rolled over to face him and placed his palm over the front of Levi's pants, surprised immediately to realize that he was no longer hard.

He smirked, eyes half-lidded, and tiredly butted his head against Erwin's shoulder. “I don't think I'd be able to keep it up, either. You have an excuse. I'm just awful.”

Erwin was glad that they were both in the same boat now, but what was that he said about 'in the morning'? With Levi looking that tired and dazed, he wouldn't have trusted him driving back home, wouldn't have even trusted him in a cab with a stranger. It was probably best for him to stay there at his house for the night. Then, in the morning, for sure...

Putting his hands under Levi's arms, he hoisted him up a little to rearrange him on the bed, helping him under the covers. “You can stay here. I'll go hit the couch.”

Before he could even rise from the bed, he felt a hand circle tightly around one of his wrists, pulling him back.

“'s your bed,” Levi said, looking like he was struggling to stay awake. “Stay. Don't make me fight you.”

“Fine, fine,” he sighed, sinking back to the bed. He pulled his belt out of its loops, gave up on his pants after fumbling with the fastenings, and slipped under the covers with Levi.

It was strange to lay next to someone again. Now that he knew that Erwin wasn't going anywhere, Levi was already rapidly falling asleep, his eyes closed, each breath growing longer and more even. It felt like such a familiar sight, but Erwin didn't have the energy to think about it further, no matter how much the thought made him itch.

Finding Levi's hand beneath the sheets, he threaded their fingers and fell into a peaceful sleep beside him.


	3. Stage 3: Continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had only just started playing this game, and he was already losing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never give up on old, unfinished works. You never know when the author will actually return to them. (ie, Hello. I have returned to you with this. At least for the moment.)

When morning came, Erwin's senses slowly returned to him, awakened by the sun through his bedroom window. The blinds were closed, and so were his eyes, but he could still feel the searing intensity of it glaring at his face, igniting a powerful headache behind his eyes. As he brought up a hand to shield his eyes, the memory of the night before returned. With his other hand, he blindly searched the spot next to him, and felt somewhat disheartened when he felt not even the warmth from another left behind.

He heard a sound and his eyes snapped open. He winced when the light assaulted his head, but he tried to focus, to figure out what he'd heard. It sounded like someone was running the water in his kitchen, which meant... Unless he had an intruder with dirty hands, it was possible that Levi was still there. Sniffing the air, he noticed the fragrant scent of coffee.

Just as he started to contemplate getting out of bed, he heard some footsteps down the hall, and Levi appeared in the doorway a second later. In his hands, he was holding two mugs; the one he always used, and another that must have been found at the back of a cabinet.

“I figured you'd be awake by now,” Levi said, coming over to Erwin's side of the bed. He extended the other cup to him and Erwin watched as he took a sip from the one he usually used. As Erwin continued to stare, Levi thrust the cup at him with more insistence. “I made it. You might as well tell me how it is.”

“O-oh,” Erwin said blearily, sitting up to take the offered cup from him. He looked at the steaming surface, then brought it to his lips to take a tentative sip. Somehow, Levi knew just how much cream he liked in his coffee. “This is really good. Better than any coffee I've ever made.”

Levi raised an eyebrow and took another sip of his own. “...I used what was in your kitchen, you know. This is your coffee.”

“Then you're just way better at making coffee than I,” Erwin said. It was hard to believe that this was even the same coffee. Perhaps Levi's experience as a bartender made him good with all kinds of drink mixing. The cream-to-coffee ratio was perfect. If he was trying to romance him through coffee, then he was doing a good job of it.

As he inhaled the pleasant aroma, the cup warming his fingertips, he realized that his headache was fading away. He hadn't had a hangover in a long time, and he was glad that he didn't drink enough the night before to wake up a sloppy mess in the morning. That just would have added insult to injury. He was still feeling embarrassed about what happened.

Levi sat down next to him on the bed, cradling his cup in his palms.

“I didn't... say anything too weird last night, did I?”

Erwin couldn't remember everything, but he didn't remember Levi saying anything shameful. He remembered everything that transpired in the kitchen, then most of what went on in the living room, but after a few glasses, things got a bit fuzzy. It was hard to say.

“Don't worry about it,” he said. Saying something like that was just the kind of thing that would lead Levi to worry, though. He could already see it on his face. Something told Erwin that he would accept Levi no matter what he said or did, so it didn't matter. He wished that he could find a way to tell him that, but he knew that it would have made him sound crazy. He didn't know Levi.

“Smith...” Levi muttered thoughtfully, staring at an insignificant spot ahead.

He couldn't remember giving Levi his last name, but that must have been one of the things that happened in the blank spot in his memory. “Thinking about something?” he asked.

“We aren't related, are we?”

His question caught him so off guard that he laughed. “Yes, of course. We look so much alike.” The serious look that remained on Levi's face made him stop laughing. “What, you don't have any cousins with the same name, do you? It's a really common last name.”

That could have potentially explained why Levi looked so familiar to him. He could have met him at a family thing once, then forgotten about him. It seemed possible, but there was a part of him that still insisted that it was something else. He didn't know Levi, but he felt like he did. It was a contradiction, but there was no comfortable way to explain it.

Levi gave an imperceptible shake of his head. “Nah, that's-”

“You feel like we know each other, right?” he said. Finishing Levi's thoughts was becoming a habit, but that felt familiar in itself. Levi wasn't predictable. He just understood the way that he thought.

Levi looked at him, his brows drawn, slowly dragging his eyes up and down Erwin's body. “You weren't my dad in another life, were you?” he asked.

The serious atmosphere was broken by another laugh from Erwin. “Why your dad?” he asked, reaching over to the bedside table to set down his cup. He gently plucked Levi's cup from his hands and set it down next to his. Slipping his arms around Levi's waist, he pulled him farther onto the bed with him, bringing them hip to hip, separated by the sheets. “I get that you have a thing for dads, but I regret to inform you that we have no relation.”

Scandalized, Levi shoved his hands against his chest, weakly pushing against him to dislodge them. Erwin could tell that he wasn't giving it his all. “I'm not into incest, you freak!”

Erwin hummed, nodding. “So you aren't disappointed?”

“Who'd be disappointed?” Levi yelled, his cheeks flaring. “Don't tell me you're into that.”

He pulled Levi on top of him, locking his hands behind his back. “I'm into whatever you want,” he said, stealing a surprise kiss.

Levi made a grumpy face, but the heat in his cheeks gave away what he was thinking. He moved against Erwin in the same kind of way he had the night before, lightly grinding them together, making Erwin aware of his growing arousal. It was fun just to watch him, exciting in a way that Erwin hadn't felt in a long time. He loved the way that Levi reacted when he brought up a hand to touch his cheek, the way he pressed his cheek into his palm like a cat.

“You promised me that you'd make it up to me in the morning, didn't you?” Levi asked, his lips close to Erwin's.

“Did I say that?” He couldn't remember. That sounded like something he would have said. He was willing to make it up to him and felt eager to prove himself now after that embarrassment. “I'd be happy to honor that promise if you'd like.”

That was exactly what Levi had been waiting to hear. He sat up, breaking out of Erwin's hold, and immediately started unbuttoning his shirt. He got about halfway and just pulled it over his head, then stripped off his belt. Taking one of Erwin's hands, he placed Erwin's palm over the front of his pants, silently telling him to feel him as he pulled back the sheets and started working off Erwin's clothes.

Erwin forgot that he'd fallen asleep in all of his clothes. He got his shirt open, but his pants were still buttoned. Levi released a pleased breath as Erwin cupped his palm around his clothed cock, and he brought his hands to Erwin's pants. With a devilish glean in his eyes, he stroked his fingers over the front, feeling him through the fabric.

“I think it's happy to see me now,” Levi said, grinning to keep himself from laughing.

Levi went for the fastenings at the front of his pants, finally getting them free. He briefly fought with the bed sheets, pushing them farther out of the way so he could tug down Erwin's pants. He let him sit there, doing all the work for him. When he finally removed everything but his open shirt, he sat back to admire him, raking his eyes over his body.

“You really do work out,” he said, sounding both impressed and surprised.

“You didn't believe me?” Erwin asked.

“More importantly...” He closed his fingers around his cock, looking a step away from salivating as he drew his hand down the length of it. Erwin felt relieved on the inside, glad that a good night's rest had proven that episode to have been a result of nothing but poor choices. Knowing now that Levi was closer to his age than he thought, he felt like he didn't need to try so hard to impress him. Levi was attracted to him for some... innate reasons.

He reached out, dragging the pad of his thumb along Levi's bottom lip. The pink tip of Levi's tongue crept out to caress it. Breathing through his nose, his eyelids heavy, he leaned forward to lightly nip the tip of his finger.

This kind of control... Erwin couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. The captivated, almost reverent look on Levi's face was nostalgic. He recognized that face, knew what he wanted.

“You don't have to hold yourself back on my account,” Erwin told him.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Levi was between his legs, his head in his lap. He was barely given a second to react before Levi opened his mouth and took him inside, trying his hardest to take him all the way into his mouth in one go. His hardest just wasn't going to be good enough, unfortunately. Erwin could have told him that, but he could see how determined Levi was. If he kept trying, he was going to get a sore jaw, but it looked like that wasn't one of his top concerns.

When it finally seemed like he'd realized the futility of his efforts, Levi lifted up and stared at it with a frustrated look. There was more to that look than met the eye, but Erwin wouldn't have been able to predict what it was. The reason was rather unexpected.

“Could she fit it all?” Levi asked.

Erwin wasn't sure he should dignify such an unusual, personal question with an answer, but it was so absurd that he figured that he might as well. “I don't think anyone could. I don't expect you to, especially not on your first try, so you don't have to gag yourself on it unles-”

His words ended in a tight hiss as Levi dove back down, surrounding the head of his cock with the warmth of his mouth. Levi took a breath through his nose and swirled his tongue around the head, lifting up occasionally to rub his lips against it. He clearly had an impressive technique, but he didn't seem focused, too overwhelmed by his own desire. Light, desperate whimpers vibrated against Erwin's skin each time he dipped his head, sucking him with a voracious need.

If he didn't stop him now, things were going to end much too soon. The things Levi did with his mouth were stimulating, yes, but the noises he made were what were really threatening Erwin's self-control. To stop him, Erwin reached down and put his fingers through his hair, lightly tugging to lift him up. Instead, Levi slapped his hand away and pulled up on his own. He looked up, keeping his eyes locked on Erwin's as he drew the flat of his tongue over the head. Pointing his tongue, he ran the tip over the slit, teasing it open. When he heard Erwin release a breath, he smirked in satisfaction and gave the tip a delicate parting kiss. Though Erwin expected him to get up at that point, he stayed in his lap, as if he'd found his new favorite place to be. He kept his fingers loosely curled around the length, giving it slow, tantalizing strokes.

“Levi,” he muttered. For a second, his temples throbbed, a white light bursting behind his eyes. That name did things to him. He couldn't understand it, but it felt so right to say his name, so he said it again, letting it roll off his lips in a blissful whisper.

As he comfortably rested his head back into the pillow, Levi resumed his attention, slowly running his tongue up his cock, nuzzling his cheek and lips against it to rest his jaw. Even if he couldn't fit the whole thing in his mouth, he was determined to worship every inch of it however he could. When Erwin cracked an eye and looked at him, he noticed the way he was uncomfortably shifting his hips, pressing the heel of his palm against the front of his jeans.

“Why are you still wearing those?” Erwin asked, lifting one of his knees, nudging aside Levi's hand with his foot, using it to lightly rub his toes over his clothed erection.

Levi gasped and grabbed a hold of Erwin's hips, using them to prop himself up as if he would collapse. It was tempting to leave his foot there and watch him squirm. Knowing that he was already getting him this unraveled really boosted his confidence, so Erwin decided to take things into his own hands. Putting his hands on Levi's shoulders, he lifted him up and brought him closer, grabbing him by the waist to pull him into his lap. Levi came along willingly, keeping his eyes lowered as Erwin's fingers began to unfasten his pants.

As he worked on his pants, Levi unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside. Once Erwin had his pants undone, Levi helped him push them off the rest of the way and let them fall next to the bed. Erwin noticed him glance at the pile and gave him a curiously raised eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Levi said, shifting his eyes. “Just a habit.”

“Habit?”

“I want to fold them.” It looked like he was physically restraining himself from getting off the bed to neaten their clothes. “Some things are more important than that, though.”

Erwin released a knowing breath as Levi leaned forward to press their hips together. He would have died of shame if he had to admit how long it had been since he felt someone else's skin against his own. The feeling of Levi's warm, smooth skin was just the sort of thing he had been missing.

Keeping their hips together, Levi closed a hand around both of them, pressing them together. He stroked them slowly, likely admiring the difference in size. Erwin thought of himself as a fairly modest man, but he knew that he had something to be proud of. Considering that it was something that had intimidated a few others in the past, it was a bit of a relief to see how enamored Levi was with it.

Those light, teasing touches weren't going to be enough, as nice as they felt. As Levi continued to admire it, he leaned over to the bedside table and rifled through the number of things he had spread out on top of it. He hadn't even realized how messy it had gotten until the moment suddenly made him conscious of it. Thankfully, it didn't take him too long to find what he was searching for.

“Turn around for me,” he said, lightly slapping his other hand against Levi's thigh.

Levi stayed where he was. “Is there something wrong with it like this?” he asked, wrapping his arms around Erwin's shoulders. “Face to face. In your lap.”

Heat swelled between Erwin's hips, and he felt his cock give an encouraging twitch against his stomach. For a second there, he had naively thought that Levi meant that he wanted to keep going with what they were already doing, rubbing their cocks together. He was going to blame the slow workings of his morning-brain for that one. When he realized that Levi intended to actually _sit in his lap_ and ride his cock while looking him directly in the face, he felt hot all over, half nervously threatened by the idea and more than extremely turned on by it at the same time.

“Tha-” His voice cracked like some kind of skittish teenager, and he coughed to cover it. “That is also perfectly acceptable.”

Levi leered, an impish smile widening his lips. He should've known better than to think that his nervousness could make it past Levi. He was feeding on it.

“If you don't mind me being so forward...” Levi began, delicately running his fingertips over Erwin's shoulders, creeping slowly toward the back of his neck where they met and linked. “I love a man who exudes strength and confidence... But one who can also show a bit of vulnerability – that's something even more appealing.”

He hadn't been caught by an incubus had he? Part of him was tempted to give himself a pinch just to be sure, but he was pretty certain he wasn't still asleep and dreaming.

This little devil was going to devour him, he could tell. He'd gotten himself involved with one hell of a dangerous guy. He was too old for this. His heart couldn't take this kind of tantalizing torment.

Giving a small laugh, Levi's hands slipped from around his neck. The tube of lubricant he had acquired from the search of his bedside table disappeared from Erwin's hands a second later, snatched away by Levi's nimble fingers. Levi looked at the tube, thinking something to himself. When his mind was made up, he grabbed one of Erwin's hands and flicked open the cap, drizzling some of it over a few of his fingers.

“You know what to do,” he said, getting up onto his knees, spreading them just wide enough to leave no doubt in Erwin's mind as to what it was Levi intended for him to do.

For a guy he'd only just met, Levi looked at him with so much trust. Just looking at him, Erwin got the feeling that Levi had more confidence in him than he had in himself, and when he put it that way in his head, it was hard to _not_ feel more confident.

Using his clean hand, he grabbed one of Levi's wrists and guided his hand to his shoulder. Getting the idea, Levi put his other hand on his opposite shoulder, keeping himself nicely balanced as Erwin reached behind him and finally pressed his wet fingertips against his entrance. It was difficult to maintain a neutral expression while he watched Levi reacting to his touch. Though he'd only just touched him, lightly placing his fingers against him without pushing inside, Levi's back curved and a quiet sigh slipped from between his lips.

Maybe it was the situation... Levi wasn't that hard to figure out. He'd already done an astounding job of deducing some snippets of Levi's history from just what he gleaned off the surface. It didn't take a lot of digging for him to figure out that Levi had some issues with his father – or, rather, his lack thereof. Levi even said it himself. He liked older men; fathers, specifically.

With that in mind, Erwin suddenly realized that he didn't have to do a lot here. As long as he kept his composure, he was already everything Levi wanted.

With that surprisingly satisfying thought, Erwin pushed his fingers inside of him. He didn't push them in very hard, but Levi's face lit up with pleasure. He had his sass, but he was still a man who valued his own composure, so he tried to hold back his reaction, biting down on his lip, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to keep his excitement from showing on his face.

It was cute. It was like he hadn't even realized all of the shameless faces he'd already been making. His real desire here was obvious. He'd already gone out of his way to make Erwin realize what it was he wanted.

Still, there was something about that tight look he gave while trying to restrain himself that made Erwin want to see him lose it. He knew he barely needed to lift a finger at this point to make Levi happy, but Erwin wasn't a man who was satisfied with doing things adequately, especially when he knew there was something he could do to go the extra mile.

Of course, it took some guts to say, but he leaned in, bringing their faces close, and said in a warm voice just loud enough for Levi to hear, “Do you like that, baby?”

Levi jerked back, ears red, looking properly flustered.

Score! One point for Team Dad.

Until that moment, Erwin hadn't even realized how hard he was grinning. Realizing it didn't make it stop, either, especially when he felt Levi's grasp weakening on his shoulders. He continued to move his fingers around inside of him, but it didn't feel like he would need much more to be ready. With his free hand, he gently stroked the back of Levi's neck, sliding his hand over his shoulder and down to his chest where he took one of his nipples between his fingers. Hearing Levi suck in a breath, he gave it a firmer twist and was rewarded with a sweet moan and a roll of his hips that took his fingers in all the way, right down to his palm.

“Do you think you can take it?” he asked, sliding out his fingers. “Are you ready, baby?”

Levi made a noise and looked aside, as if that could hide the very obvious blush across his cheeks. “You don't have to keep calling me that,” he said, scowling.

“But you like it, don't you, baby?” Erwin teased.

Levi couldn't honestly say that he didn't like it – not when his cock was looking that hard. For the moment, he ignored Erwin's question and gave his cock another look instead, sizing it up, determining whether or not he thought it was going to fit. He picked up the tube of lubricant again and took it upon himself this time. After squeezing a liberal amount into his palm, he used that to coat Erwin's cock. He spent more time on it than was entirely necessary, stroking his whole hand over it with long, loose strokes from base to tip. Part of Erwin was tempted to let him keep going, intrigued by the fascination on Levi's face.

“I can do it,” Levi said, but he still sounded somewhat uncertain, like he was estimating the possibility.

“Are you sure? I don't want you to do something you're uncomfortable with-”

Before he could get out a single more word, Levi pressed a finger to his lips, looking down at him with challenge in his eyes.

“Don't underestimate me.”

Right, he really shouldn't have underestimated him. Expecting the unexpected from a person like Levi was the wisest way to be. If only he'd remembered to think like that, he might not have been so surprised when Levi grabbed his cock and positioned himself over it. He didn't even have the time to think about it further before Levi was already pressing down onto it, immediately sinking down an inch or two. Erwin's eyes widened, just imagining how that must have felt for him to take even that much at once. Levi grit his teeth, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he held himself over him, adjusting to the sensation.

More than that, Erwin found himself inexplicably worried about the fact that he hadn't had the opportunity to ask whether he should wear a condom. Levi didn't seem concerned with that, at least, more than eager to have a taste of his raw flesh.

His cheeks were already pink and getting a little redder, clearly enjoying himself even though there was a hint of an uncomfortable frown at the corners of his mouth. He wasn't the only one trying to adjust to the feeling. It was extremely tight inside of him; Erwin had never felt anything like it. Suddenly, despite what Levi had even told him a few seconds earlier, it occurred to him that maybe he'd been the only one who was worried whether or not Levi would be able to handle him.

“What'd I tell you?” Levi asked, grinning playfully. As he tried to lift his hips, however, he winced and had to brace himself on Erwin's shoulders again.

Quickly, Erwin brought his hands to Levi's hips, keeping him steady. “No need to get ahead of yourself,” he said gently. He heard Levi take a breath and his cock twitched. Erwin couldn't figure out whether it had been what he said or the way that he touched him that made Levi react so positively, but he was glad to see that he was still somehow on the right track. “You can take all the time you like,” he said, trying to keep the same tone he used. “I certainly don't have anywhere to be today. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time.”

That really shut him up. He seemed like the type who could talk a blue streak until someone else put him in his place. Grumbling quietly, he moved his hips, pressing into Erwin's hold, trying to get him to let go so he could move. Now that he'd gotten an idea of what Levi really wanted, though, Erwin knew what to do. Keeping his hands firmly placed on Levi's hips, he slowly helped bring him down farther, sliding him down another fraction of an inch.

Levi let out a groan, but it ended in a sigh, his body still in a conflicted state somewhere between pleasure and pain.

“You can tell me when it hurts,” he reminded him. He waited for Levi to relax again before he gently brought him up, making it easier for him to pull him back down a little farther. His own cock throbbed, now half of his length enveloped in constricting tightness, swallowed by heat. He could tell that Levi was starting to grow accustomed to it, relaxing further to accommodate his width.

“It doesn't hurt,” he mumbled, leaning forward to rest his forearms over Erwin's shoulders, relaxing his hips into his hands. “You're just huge, you know, so whatever.”

“That's not a complaint, then, is it?” he asked teasingly, pressing his fingers into Levi's skin. His cock throbbed, anxious for him to move. In the position that he found them in now, with Levi leaning most of his weight against his shoulders, his hips were free to do pretty much whatever they wanted. If he just pushed up a little...

Just as he expected, it was a lot easier for him to push into him while in this position. Levi let out a noise that he clearly wouldn't have wanted anyone to hear if he had known it were coming. He tried to look away, to find a way to hide his face, but there was no hiding from Erwin's attentive gaze while they were so close and facing each other. It didn't look like he hurt him at all, though, so that was all that really mattered. Keeping his eyes on Levi's face, he rocked his hips upward into him a few more times until he was finally able to fit his full length inside of him. It was definitely easier for him to push inside now, but he still had to pace himself. Even when relaxed, Levi was very tight, so he could only make slow thrusts, but he made each one count, sinking in deeply, pulling out almost all the way to make sure he felt every inch of him as he pushed back inside.

Levi's head was definitely somewhere else now, his head tilted to the side as he took short breaths, a dazed expression on his face. Every now and then, a little sigh or moan would escape from between his parted lips. Erwin felt like he should hold his breath while looking at his face, afraid that if he drew his attention, that the serene, honest look on his face would disappear.

Though, now that he'd seen it, he felt accomplished just knowing that he'd found out that Levi was capable of making such an expression and that he was the one who was responsible for it.

When Levi noticed him looking, he huffed and the gentle look he had disappeared in an instant. “W-what is it? You're looking at me pretty intensely,” he muttered, averting his eyes.

“Nothing,” Erwin quickly replied to keep from having to explain his embarrassing thoughts. “Is there something you'd like for me to do for you? Anything you like in particular?”

It looked like there was something, but it just couldn't make it past Levi's tightly sealed lips. He shook his head in an uncharacteristically timid way, then leaned forward to press his lips against Erwin's lips instead. Erwin made a startled sound against his mouth, surprised by the sudden kiss, but his mind stayed fixed on the question that Levi had avoided. There was clearly something that Levi wanted, and now he was determined to figure out what it was.

While Levi was trying to distract him with his mouth, Erwin used that moment as his opportunity to flip their positions, rolling them over so that he had Levi pinned beneath him. The change in position caused him to slide out of him, but he kept his weight pressing down on Levi to keep him pinned to the bed. He deepened their kiss and Levi moaned, wrapping his legs around his waist, linking his ankles behind his back to keep them close. He already knew that Levi liked his size, so he realized that he must have also enjoyed feeling the whole weight of his body on top of him.

As his tongue slid over Levi's, he stroked his hands up and down his back, swirling over his shoulders, then back down again to grab his ass with both hands. Levi moaned appreciatively into his mouth and brought his legs up higher and rubbed himself against him to encourage him to put it back inside. With a grin, Erwin obliged, pressing himself against his entrance. It was still tight, showing him some resistance when he tried to push it back inside. For a moment, he kept it there, nudging against him, watching Levi's face as he fought against all kinds of expressions; his eyes closed, teeth locked, lips quivering, eyebrows turned up in a manner that might suggest he was in pain were he not making such lewd noises.

He was still holding onto it – whatever that thing was that he really wanted to tell him.

Erwin decided to keep teasing him for a little longer, hoping that it might help loosen his lips.

“I know there's something else you want. You should tell me what it is, baby,” he said, finding it nowhere near as difficult for him to get out those words this time. That affectionate name was becoming alarmingly comfortable on his tongue.

Levi cracked open his hazy eyes and stared at him. “Just put it in already. You act awfully accommodating, but even still, I'm sure that it would be too weird for a normal guy like you, so... It doesn't matter.”

It didn't matter what it was he wanted him to do at that point. Hearing that Levi thought he wouldn't accept whatever it was made him feel kind of mad.

“Try me,” he said, bracing himself on his hands to look down at him very seriously, intending to not move a single muscle until Levi told him.

Levi evenly returned his stare. “Okay, daddy.”

A few long seconds of silence passed before Erwin even realized what Levi just said. For some reason, he felt like he was supposed to wait for more, but nothing more came. So that was it. That was all he wanted to say.

For that, Erwin felt relieved. He expected that he might want something like that, to call him 'daddy', but he wasn't sure whether he should expect something more, something unfamiliar. Sure, he'd never heard anyone call him that in bed, and, if he let himself think about it too much, it was going to start weirding him out, but, for the moment, it didn't feel strange at all. He couldn't feel mad or anything when it came from that mouth.

Gently, he took Levi's chin between his fingers and dipped his head, giving him a slow, delicate kiss.

“Okay, baby.”

He was amused by the surprised look on Levi's face. What had he been expecting? For him to toss him out of the bed?

“I-idiot,” Levi muttered, eyes darting to the side skittishly.

“Don't you mean 'daddy'?” he asked with a touch of smug attitude.

Levi brought his hands down and pressed them up into Erwin's jaw, pushing his face away. “Yeah, but it's embarrassing to say.”

Erwin grabbed his hands and placed them back up around his neck where they belonged, then leaned in to give him another brief kiss on the lips. “You like it, though, don't you?” he asked, eyes flicking up to look into Levi's.

Levi grumbled, enough of a confirmation as Erwin figured he was going to receive to a question like that. If Levi wanted to continue calling him that, at least while they were alone together like this, he wouldn't mind. As long as he tried not to think about it too deeply, he was willing to give it a try. Even Levi seemed to be a little uncomfortable with it. Even if it were something he really wanted to do, that suggested that he hadn't been able to try it with anyone else before.

Now that the uncomfortable weight had been removed from the air between them, Erwin had no reason to not give Levi what he wanted. Levi let out a pleased sigh and grinned when he felt Erwin pressing against him. This time, he didn't hold back, pushing his way past Levi's initial resistance, sinking into that welcoming slick heat. He gave a sigh and then laughed softly when he heard Levi sigh at the same time. Levi also seemed glad that they were finally picking up where they left off, glad to have that conversation out of the way. It wasn't much of a 'conversation', having ended so quickly and amicably, but having it resolved seemed to cause a real change in him.

It felt like he'd loosened up a bit more, feeling more relaxed. Even the limbs he had wrapped around Erwin's neck and waist lacked the strength they previously held. He was like putty in Erwin's capable hands, ready to be molded to his pleasing.

The second Erwin reached a hand between them and wrapped his fingers around Levi's cock, his eyes widened, distracted enough to be surprised. With a firm hold around him, he gave him a few slow, satisfying strokes. A sound hung on the tip of Levi's tongue; a partially spoken word. Erwin got comfortable on his elbows and stared down at him, waiting for him to say it before moving.

“D... Da.... Don't make me say it now, you asshole,” Levi growled, his face beet red, heated up from more than just pleasure. “I can't say it when I have to think about it.”

Well, that was a more forward response than Erwin was expecting. That made things easier, however. If he wanted to hear Levi say it again, he was just going to have to bring him to a state where he was unable to think.

Sitting up, he grabbed Levi's legs beneath his knees and pushed them back, spreading them obscenely wide. Even he hadn't been prepared for the lewd scene he'd created for himself. Levi looked expectedly indignant about this compromising change in position, but he remained just as red, looking too turned on to utter any arguments. His cock was dripping against his stomach, looking disappointed that Erwin had stopped touching him so soon.

“How about this?” Erwin asked, giving him a single thrust. Each position had its own kind of appeal, but this was definitely the best. Levi didn't have to do a thing, pinned below him, Erwin's hands keeping his knees pressed back to keep him spread open nice and wide. Not only did it make it easier to enter him, it was easy to thrust in all the way while also allowing him to move at a moderate pace.

He kept things even to start, giving him slow, deep thrusts. Each one awarded him with a splendid sound from Levi, who looked like he'd already abandoned his self-consciousness altogether. The look of sweet pleasure on his face was enough to fuel Erwin's own desire, making him grow even harder inside of him to the point that he worried he might be in danger. He took a moment to steady himself, stopping for just a few seconds, but the hot feeling of being wrapped up in him was inescapable.

“What's the matter?” Levi asked, grinning with a sly look in his eyes. “Come on. Give it to me, daddy.”

Goddammit, he thought. It was like Levi was just pretending before, keeping that stored up his sleeve to use at just the right moment to catch him off guard. And it worked.

At that point, he didn't even care anymore. Even if he were going to come soon, he could tell that Levi was going to be right behind him. He looked completely turned on by this situation, looking even more amped up after letting that name fly from his mouth again.

So pleased with himself, he tried it again, begging. “That's it, daddy, just like that-”

He was cut off when Erwin delivered one intentionally hard thrust right into the spot he knew Levi would enjoy the most. A loud cry of pleasure caught in Levi's throat, but he swallowed it, trying to hold it in. Erwin gave him a few more regular thrusts, then aimed for that spot again with another strong thrust that forcefully tore that withheld cry from him. Even Levi looked surprised by how loud it was when it came out, instantly bringing his hands down to cover his mouth.

“You don't... have any neighbors who will get pissed if they hear some dude screeching like a cat, right?”

“I might,” Erwin said honestly. “But I think they'd think twice before calling the authorities on such a regularly upstanding neighbor such as myself.”

Levi let out an impressed sound.

After that, Levi didn't hold anything back, moaning openly, making a sound whenever Erwin did something that he particularly enjoyed – which seemed to be frequently. Just the sound of him was enough to make Erwin feel like coming, his sweet moans igniting an insatiable, feral need at his core. He wanted to just hold onto his legs with all of his strength, to ram into him with abandon, but he had to remind himself of what it was Levi really wanted; a man with a sense of control and composure. It was hard to be that person when he had such an enticing vision spread out before him, however.

“Didn't I tell you?” Levi said, looking up at him from beneath his lashes. “You won't break me. I'm sure daddy wouldn't do anything to hurt me.”

Maybe... Maybe he really did enjoy seeing him lose his composure.

Well, it was gone now, that was for sure.

Erwin dipped his head lower, pressing their foreheads together. He took a breath. “Are you sure? I'm not sure how much more I can take before-”

“Give it to me,” Levi said, an absolutely pleased smile on his lips. “Give it all to me. Make me yours, daddy.”

That was it. He lost it. He knew he was playing a losing game from the start, but now he really lost it.

“A... Anything for my baby.”

Tightening his grip below Levi's knees, he increased his pace, pushing into him with long, deep thrusts. He felt a little concerned that he should be touching Levi more, but Levi hadn't even put his hands on himself. He kept his arms held loosely around Erwin's neck, but his cock was still dripping heavily, a thick line of precum bridging the space from the tip of his cock to his stomach. His eyes had fallen shut again and he was breathing roughly, sounding just about as close to coming as Erwin felt.

Opening his eyes slightly, Levi glanced between their bodies. He lifted one of his hands from around Erwin's neck and brought it between them, reaching down to touch the place where they were connected, brushing his fingertips over Erwin's length as he thrust into him, stretching him open. Levi's lips quivered and he gave a weak whimper as his body went stiff. Cum splashed his stomach and Erwin instantly felt him tightening up around his cock.

He couldn't believe that Levi could become even tighter, but it was like his body was purposefully trying to pull him over the edge with him. It definitely worked, because he felt it hit him a second later. He would've tried to pull out, but Levi's words returned to him at that instant.

Giving one final thrust into his tight body, he came deep inside of him, filling him up until he felt completely spent. He stayed the way he was for a few more moments to catch his breath, then slowly lifted his head to warily see how Levi looked. After all of that, he wasn't even sure what to expect anymore, but Levi didn't seem displeased in the slightest. When he looked at him, his eyes were still closed, the back of one hand resting against his forehead as he took content breaths, the other slipping slowly from Erwin's shoulder to his chest.

After he pulled out, Erwin gently rested Levi's legs back down on the bed. Instinctively, he reached out to grasp the hand that was falling from his shoulder. When he did, Levi opened his eyes, looking at him with a complicated expression that was hard to read. It didn't take Erwin long to realize that he was making the same kind of face, and he stopped to wonder what it meant.

He felt... curious, a little cautious and uncertain, but there was also a part of him, in a place he didn't even know existed, that felt happy and satisfied.

That mysterious feeling of déjà vu returned to him, and he wondered whether Levi was experiencing that as well.

More importantly, he'd just done something really incredible. Finally breaking eye contact with him, Erwin shifted, letting go of his hand, and threw his legs over the side of the bed, cradling his head in his hands. He could feel a hint of that earlier headache returning as he finally considered what it was they'd just done.

He just had sex with a guy he'd only known for a few days. Even if there were a part of him that felt like he'd known Levi for longer than that, it still felt absurd. He would have never done something like that before. But Levi inspired something in him. He had only just appeared in his life, but he was already shaking it up. His presence was like an earthquake, sending tremors through his memory, through his everyday life. Erwin should have felt unsteady on his feet, but his heart wouldn't stop pounding with excitement.

Levi sat up on the bed, resting back on his elbows. “Uh... You aren't having regrets now, are you?”

Even if a fissure opened up to swallow him whole, he had the feeling he would be safe in its depths. He may have only known him for a few days, but he knew that Levi wasn't the kind of person who would let him fall alone.

He laughed quietly to himself, then turned to Levi with a soft smile.

“Not at all,” he said. “Not in the slightest.”


End file.
